The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria, the DVD release documenting a metallically historic summer 2010 European show featuring Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax—the “big four” of U.S. thrash metal—has now gone double platinum in the United States.

Released in fall 2010, The Big 4 Live presents footage from the June 22, 2010, Sonisphere festival show in the Bulgarian capital that featured all four bands on the same stage for only the second time ever (the first Big Four show took place one week earlier in Poland). On that date, the concert was transmitted live to hundreds of theaters in North America, Europe and Latin America, with delayed showings in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The DVD set presents more than five hours of material, encompassing each band’s entire set that evening at Vasil Levski National Stadium. It includes a finale late in Metallica’s set that saw members from all four bands onstage together for a rendition of 1980 Diamond Head metal classic “Am I Evil?”

“Double platinum” status denotes sales in excess of 200,000 copies as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Jackson is supremely thrilled to announce its new partnership with Megadeth co-founder and monster bassist David Ellefson.

In addition to the introduction of a new limited-edition Ellefson signature model in January 2011, the pairing will see the fleet-fingered and always-eloquent bassist collaborating with Jackson’s R&D department on new Jackson bass models. To this, Ellefson brings unrivaled game based on decades of sold-out world tours and groundbreaking metal albums.

His new signature bass is a monster, too. The U.S.A. Custom Shop David Ellefson Signature Model Jackson Concert™ Bass is based on the Jackson Concert Bass with which Ellefson recorded Megadeth’s landmark 1990 metal magnum opus, Rust in Peace. Further, it’s a spot-on replica of the instrument he played during Megadeth’s triumphant Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour in 2010 (as seen in the Megadeth Rust in Peace Live DVD/CD and The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria DVD).

Ellefson himself is just as delighted as Jackson is, telling Jackson News, “When Megadeth set out to replicate the Rust in Peace tour, there was only one clear choice of bass guitar—my original Jackson Concert Bass. The instrument is based on the Jackson I played on the album and is exactly like the one I’m playing today. This bass truly takes no prisoners.”

Hear more from about the basses from Ellefson himself in this exclusive Jackson News Alert video:

Orlando, Fla.-based metallurgists Trivium will ensconce themselves in a Florida recording studio in mid-January to start cranking out the as yet untitled follow-up to 2008 album Shogun. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy reports that 17 songs have been written for a new disc tentatively slated for a late-spring/early-summer 2011 release.

Jackson-wielding Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu had noted earlier that forthcoming new Trivium material would be deliberately conceived to not sound like the songs on Shogun.

“We’ve been concentrating more on more to-the-point, catchier songs without going off too much,” Beaulieu said in a summer 2010 radio interview. “There are no seven- or eight-minute songs on this one. There are a lot of really cool riffs and a lot of really cool parts and, obviously, there are guitar solos all over the place.”

While new songs won’t echo the sound of the 2008 album, Beaulieu was quick to emphasize that the band still sounds unmistakably like itself.

“It doesn’t sound like Shogun, but it sounds like Trivium,” he said “It’s got a different feel than Shogun—a lot more in your face and heavier and faster. It kind of balances out everything—we’ve got four or five songs that are all screaming; we’ve got a couple of songs that are all singing; and huge songs that are kind of a mix—a kind of Ascendancy (2005) vocal style, with both screaming and singing, so there’s a good variety, which makes it really interesting to listen to because each song has its own thing going on, so they all stand out really well and fit together, too. It’s got a good balance of everything, but the energy and the intensity are just a lot more up there. I guess if you compare it to anything as far as being aggressive, it’s probably more towards Ascendancy than anything else.”

Metal Mike onstage with Halford during the current tour with Ozzy Osbourne. Photo courtesy Metal Mike.

Jackson was delighted recently to hear from an old friend who’s no stranger to Jackson fans, Mike “Metal Mike” Chlasciak, who checked in with an update on his most recent goings on, namely, his tour with Rob Halford opening for Ozzy Osbourne. That particular metal fest, billed as “The Metal God on Tour With the Prince of Darkness,” wrapped up in mid-December.

As for ringing in the new year, a new Halford album featuring Metal Mike is slated for 2011 release, as is a new solo effort titled The Metalworker. Further, don’t miss Chlasciak’s new column in Guitar World magazine, called “Metal For Life.”

But why are we telling you? We’d much rather let Metal Mike himself do the talking:

“Hey metal heads and Jackson fanatics! It’s Metal Mike saying hello from a heavy metal land, where two metal gods share the stage nightly. Yep, I am talking about the Metal God—Rob Halford—and the Prince of Darkness—Ozzy Osbourne. As many of you know, we’re on the North American arena tour playing to many, many people every night. It feels great! And as you guessed, my Randy Rhoads models are with me once again, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ll be back with a quick report right after. If you dig reading Guitar World, check out my ‘In Deep’ column with Andy Aledort, called ‘10 Metal Riffs You Must Know.’”

Megadeth bass shredder nonpareil David Ellefson just checked in with Jackson, as he very kindly does from time to time, with holiday best wishes and some monstrous Megadeth news regarding plans for 2011. Here he is:

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for all your fantastic support to me this year. Megadeth just received a double-platinum award in Sydney for the Big Four: Live in Sophia, Bulgaria DVD in Australia. It has gone gold and platinum in several other countries and has been a huge seller across the board!

We announced the “European Carnage” tour for March/April 2011 with Megadeth and Slayer, and so far two more “Big Four” dates have been announced in the U.K. and France for July. There is more great stuff in the works for 2011, including work on a new album early in the New Year.

Jackson is thrilled to receive just-in holiday wishes from Death Angel guitarist and good friend Rob Cavestany, currently shredding the European concert road on the 23-date Thrash Fest tour.

Further, Cavestany wanted us to pass this tour update on to you, along with a bonus behind-the-scenes tour video and best wishes:

Twenty shows in a row so far on this insane Thrash Fest Tour of Europe with Kreator, Exodus, Death Angel and Suicidal Angels! This tour has been crushing! Here is a little video teaser of the action on the road and behind the scenes. Dig it …